The Feinstein DMZ

California Dianne Feinstein, who has a long history of Washington mediation, offered plain water and two cozy chairs by the (unlit) fireplace at her home in Washington for the first serious post-primary talks between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama Thursday evening around 9 p.m.

Clinton’s home a few blocks away has been surrounded by television cameras, and Feinstein said Clinton called her in the late afternoon. The cable shows were going on nonstop about Clinton’s defiant speech Tuesday night, and the talk about her vice presidential prospects, which Feinstein herself promoted to the Chronicle on Wednesday. Feinstein offered Clinton her home as a private setting.

Feinstein left the two alone and went upstairs to work. After about an hour they called her down and she found the two laughing, and everyone said goodnight. There was no press and just two staff people who waited, apparently quietly, in a separate room.

Here’s how Feinstein described the meeting to reporters:

“There was a desire on both sides, I think, to have a private meeting. This is about 48 hours after Tuesday.

“I offered that it could be at my home – I offered that to Senator Clinton. Senator Obama was very gracious. He said he would go wherever, whenever Senator Clinton wanted.

She called yesterday afternoon, and said, “could we use your house?” I said “sure.”

“So, I received them, put them in the living room, in two comfortable chairs facing one another and left. So, this was a private meeting.

Feinstein said after such a heated contest, “There’s a period of decompression that has to take place. And it has to take place on interpersonal relationships as well.

“I can speak, I think, for Sen. Clinton. She wants to do everything she can to bring the party together. She wants to do everything she can to see that the people who voted for her have their voices heard and that that’s reflected in credentials and in the platform. She wants to have a working relationship with Sen. Obama. And I think it’s a very positive thing.”

Feinstein said she had talked with Clinton several times after the primaries ended.

“I lost, as you know, a campaign for governor,” Feinstein said, “and I know you have to talk. They want this opportunity, privately. You all know what it’s like. You have to go out and make a statement, and there’s press, and everybody’s critical of it. They just wanted an opportunity to meet together alone.

“This is a deeply personal time too, you know. You’re sorting out your feelings. Hillary’s going to be giving a big speech tomorrow. Barack is trying to put things together for a major Presidential campaign. So, there a lot of decompression, nerve endings, all things that need to come together. I think the opportunity to sit down, just the two of them, have an hour together, was a positive.”

Feinstein said she didn’t “urge” anything. “I know it’s a natural instinct of people, particularly in this case, because Hillary represents a very large bloc of voters — the largest ever for anybody that’s come in number two and has the popular vote.

“She is, I think, desirous of protecting the issue that she cares about, to the extent she can, and seeing that the people are represented in this administration, and certainly in the convention. And also to help with the ticket. I know she feels that way because we’ve talked about this.”

Clinton will be giving her concession speech in Washington Saturday. It’s another that will be well worth watching. Feinstein said earlier in the week that how one concedes is as important as how one wins. This will be Clinton’s second shot at it. For those who blasted her for her speech Tuesday, consider how long, hard and close this contest was, and how many previous candidates have taken similarly losing fights to the convention floor, including Edward Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. Give the woman a break. She’s been going nonstop for 17 months. Politicians are human beings; it’s an easy fact to forget in an election.

Clinton may not be on the presidential ticket this year, but history shows that anyone who’s come this close to the presidency often makes another run at it. At the very least, her national prominence, now earned as a presidential candidate, has vastly elevated her standing in the Democratic Party.

Recall that Al Gore was roundly despised by Democrats after losing to Bush in 2000. Don’t expect Hillary to go off to Europe and grow a beard, but do expect that whatever hard feelings there are against her now can quickly turn reverential.